Ramapo College Women's Track

Rodgers enters his third season as assistant coach for the Roadrunners.  Rodgers is a 2013 graduate of Ramapo College and a four-time NCAA Qualifier in the Javelin.  He earned All-America honors in 2012, as he placed third overall in the Javelin, with a throw of 66.73m (218 11), which is a school record.  In addition, Rodgers earned NJAC Field Athlete of the Year honors as he won the Javelin. In his first season as coach, Rodgers helped many of his student-athletes succeed.  Taylor Furman was named NJAC Field Athlete of the Year for both indoor and outdoor track & field in 2014.  Furman won the shot put and weight throw indoors, setting the NJAC meet record in the weight throw.  Outdoors, Furman won all of the throws, with the exception of the Javelin.  At the ECAC championships, she won the Discus and placed in the Hammer Throw.  Alexis Appezzato won the NJAC and ECAC Championship in the Javelin.  She then went on to be the NCAA Champion in the Javelin with a school-record throw of 47.96m (1574).  In addition to her success on the runway, Appezzato was named USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Division III. Coach Rodgers also helped Michael Begen to win the NJAC Javelin championship as a freshman in 2014 and also place at the ECAC Outdoor Championships. 2015-2016 Season

Carlin, begins his 8th year as an assistant coach on Coach Jacksons staff. He is responsible for coaching the jumping events, and also assists with academic advisement and recruiting. Coach Carlin has coached two All-Americans, and was instrumental in aiding Todd Lowber in his successful quest as Ramapo Colleges first NCAA DIII National High Jump Champion in 2006.  Lowber moved on to the NFL and had stints with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins.  His playing career is highlighted by a Super Bowl win in 2007 (Giants).  Valdir Mondesir placed 5th overall in the High Jump at the 2010 Outdoor NCAA Championships, also under the direction of Coach Carlin. The Roadrunners' jumpers have had much success in the jump events in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).  There have been eight individual NJAC champions who have worked with Carlin, who primarily works with all males in the aforementioned event areas.  He also has three ECAC Champions to his credit. Coach Carlin has a BA in English and a Masters in Counseling; he has 17 years of experience as a NYC English teacher and 25 years as a guidance counselor. Before retiring he was employed as a guidance counselor at the East Orange Campus and Montclair high schools. In retirement, he serves as the Armory Prep College Advisor for the Armory Track and Field Center, as well as the long and triple jump specialist for the high school students where he has developed NYS state and national champions. It is his responsibility to help place student athletes in both two-year and four-year institutions. Carlin has earned both a USA Track and Field Level I Coaching Certificate and a US Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association Jumps Specialist Certificate. He is fully certified to coach sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, throws and multi-events. Coach Carlin resides in Hillsdale, NJ. 2012-2013 season

Alina Duran joins the Ramapo College Track & Field team as an assistant coach for the 2020-2021 outdoor season. She will primarily be working with the javelin, hammer throw, and shot put student-athletes.   Duran had a very successful career at Stevens Institute of Technology where she was a seven-time Empire 8 Conference champion and was undefeated within the conference indoors in the shot put. She set a facility and Empire 8 record in the weight throw at the 2013 Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Championships. Duran went on to win the weight throw at ECAC’s and earned NCAA All-American honors at the 2013 NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field Championships. The All-American honor was the first in indoor track & field program history at Stevens. Coach Duran also qualified for NCAA’s in the Hammer Throw in the 2012 Outdoor Track & Field season.   Coach Duran earned her Civil Engineering degree and a minor in Gender and Culture Studies and later earned her master’s degree in Engineering at Stevens. Duran competed at the 2016 Olympic Trials.     2020-2021 Season  

Head coach Justina Cassavell enters her 10th season as head coach of both the cross-country and track & field programs at Ramapo College and her 13th at the college overall. Ramapo continues to be a contender on the national scene in both cross country and track & field. In cross country, eight athletes have qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships where Jeremy Hernandez (2017) and Steven Fiumefreddo (2021) earned NCAA All-American honors. Cassavell was named the 2015 NJAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year while the 2019 Men’s Cross Country team won the NJAC Cross Country Championship for the first time in school history. At the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships, they finished 6th overall the highest finish since the 2017 season. Chris Andersen and Jason Rodriguez earned All-Region honors. The 2019 women’s squad placed 2nd at the NJAC Championships - the highest placing during coach Cassavell’s tenure. Jen Polo finished 3rd place overall while Safiya Ratliff finished in 5th place. Safiya was named NJAC Women’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year. The Lady Roadrunner placed 12th at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships, the highest finish in school history. Ratfliff and Polo earned All-Region honors. On the track, Cheickna Traore rewrote the records books at Ramapo College along with NCAA Division III in multiple sprint events. He finished his career with three NCAA DIII National records (indoor/outdoor 200m and indoor 300m), #2 All-Time in the indoor 400m and outdoor 100m and #3 All-Time in the indoor 500m. Traore won three NCAA Championships and is a seven-time All-American while he holds eight Ramapo College individual sprint records and is a member of two relay teams that hold school records. He was named NJAC Male Athlete of the year, Ramapo College Male Athlete of the Year, Ramapo College Career Award Winner. Hernandez became the 2018 NCAA Indoor Champion in the men’s mile with a national record time of 3.59.01. He is the first NCAA Division III athlete to break a four-minute mile in the history of the sport. Amber Edwards became the 2018 NCAA Indoor National Champion in the triple jump with a mark of 12.52-meters (41’ 1.00”). Kristina Langan advanced to the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships where she earned All-American honors with a 6th place finish in the pole vault. Cassavell joined the Roadrunner coaching staff in 2013 after a highly successful coaching career in the high school ranks. She was the Head Coach of the Girls Cross Country/Track & Field Team at Voorhees High School from 1997 to 2012.  She led the Voorhees Girls to three New Jersey State Meet of Champions Titles in 2007, 2008, and 2012, while they earned nine New Jersey State Group Championship Titles, and 13 New Jersey Sectional Championship Titles. She is a 1992 graduate of Rutgers University where she earned a degree in Economics.  She was a four-year member of the Scarlet Knight cross country and track and field teams. Cassavell was a NCAA provisional qualifier in 1991 for indoor track and field in the 800m run, with a time of 2:09.86.  She received All-East track & field honors in 1989, 1990, and 1991, while earning a championship crown at the indoor Metropolitan Championships in the 800m in '91.  She was named Rutgers Most Improved Runner in track & field in 1990. Cassavell and her husband, Robert have four children, Claudia, Nicole, Zoey and Robby. 2025-2026 Season